...because every child deserves reading success.
An r-controlled vowel refers to a specific syllable pattern. Syllables that contain the r-controlled vowel pattern have one vowel that is immediately followed by an r. The r changes the sound of the vowel so that the vowel makes neither the short sound nor the long sound. What are the sounds of an r-controlled vowel?…
The open syllable is a great way to introduce beginning readers to the long vowel sound as it appears in print. Hopefully, you’ve continued to work on Phonemic Awareness with a variety of vowel sounds so when students begin to connect the sound to print, they will have had previous exposure to the long vowel…
Just like in kindergarten and first grade, we begin teaching second grade readers with baseline assessments. Your second-grade students have spent two years on their reading journey, but they are not all in the same local. Assessments will help you determine where each of your students are in their travels. As their guide, you need…
The first step in your journey of teaching reading to first graders begins with assessment. Stay with me here. Think of assessment as your roadmap (or GPS). In order to ensure that you reach your destination of a classroom full of successful readers, you need a roadmap, so you (and your students) don’t get lost….
The best way to begin teaching reading in kindergarten is to resist the urge to jump right into instruction. First, you need to know where to start and then you need to know where you are going. We refer to this instructional cycle as “Assess, Analyze, Instruct”. At Informed Literacy it is our core belief…
Teachers need a phonics scope and sequence because it provides a framework for instruction. Like a roadmap, a scope and sequence ensures that the instructor will effectively move their student(s) from point A to point B without missing any turns (or elements). A scope and sequence will enable students to embark on their reading journey…